Tipton Author Event

 

The Tipton County Public Library will host a Local Author Festival on Saturday, February 28, 2026. And guess what? I've been invited to be one of authors. 

The event is a chance to discover and support local authors from the community. The Dragshi, Captain Ellspeth and Lord Dal, the seidhern, the falaire, and Deneas the dragon hunter and Trellier the dragon will all be there. Hope you will  stop by. 

 

* * * *   SAVE THE DATE  * * * * 

Date: Saturday, February 28, 2026 

Time: 10:00 AM  - 2 PM CST

Location: Tipton County Public Library, 3149 US-51, Covington, TN 

FREE PARKING   

 

 

The Perfect Gift for Authors is Free

Recently, I chatted about 7 Ways to Help Your Local (Or not-so-local) Author. In the spirit of the upcoming holidays, I want to continue in that vein, inspired by Carolyn Howard-Johnson's post, about The Perfect (Very Frugal!) Gift for Authors. Of course there is the word play on "frugal. She is the author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers.

Frugal or free doesn't mean without value. What can be one of a writer's most cherished items is a review. Per Carolyn, "It’s free and it’s a full-of-love gift." Go here to read the full story. Writers On The Move: The Perfect Gift for Authors is Free! She provides a few steps on how to ensure the author gets the most benefit out of your generous gift. Be sure to check out her books as well. Besides the HowtoDoItFrugally series, Carolyn is also the author of a novel and several books of poetry including Imperfect Echoes.
  
And for other ways to help your favorite author? Mystery author Heather Weidner summarizes the ways as Review - Tell - Share - Buy - Nominate - Blog. Her suggestions are at heatherweidner.com/blog/2016/8/28/7-ways-to-help-your-friendly-neighborhood-author.

Carolyn encourages that the holidays are "a time to let your spirit of giving overcome any reticence you may have about contacting a favorite author." 

I promise you, there is no gift greater for authors than hearing a positive comment from a reader. Whether you give a book, leave a review, or attend an author meet and greet, to all the readers out there-- you are appreciated. 

~till next time, Helen 

Echoes From The Valley #mfrwhook

 
In celebration of All Hallow's Eve and the upcoming Veteran's Day, this week's book hook departs from the usual fare to take a trip into the unknown. For your consideration, an excerpt from one of the tales in the collection, Hearth and Sand: Stories from the Front Lines and the Homefront. Like the other tales in the collection, "Echoes From The Valley" reflects a continuity of service from the past to the present.

When the valley echoes with the sound of a popular Civil War tune, two re-enactors encounter a soldier from the past and learn the true meaning of duty--in this life and the one beyond.

Excerpt:

Pillars of mist rose like wraiths from the valley below, then danced toward my hilltop vigil. Unlike the chilling mist usually found there, this one’s feather-like touch felt like a warm breath. Although I hadn’t heard any sound beyond my own heartbeat, a swirl in the mist revealed a soldier leaning against a tree not ten feet away. A nod and brief touch of his fingers to his kepi brim was his only acknowledgement of my presence. I thought of returning to the rows of tents, but I wasn’t ready to go back there quite yet.

The eerie quality of his bugle’s first whispery note almost sent me running back to the tenuous safety of people. But I found myself unable to move as the tone seemed to turn into a wail. The bugle’s haunting tones echoed across the valley. Note after spectral note disappeared into the mist to be answered by the sense of unseen souls cavorting in the darkness below.

Lost in the transcendence of the moment, I didn’t notice the last purple flickers of light fade from the now velvet-cloaked valley.

The last echoes of “Taps” faded into the darkness before I found myself able to move again. I looked for the bugler to commend him on his portrayal. There was just a hint of movement and only shadows remained where the man had been.

**  END OF EXCERPT ***

If intrigued, the rest of the tale is available in Hearth and Sand. A collection of twelve tales of those who served on the front lines and the stories of loved ones left behind who preserved the home front. Set universes apart and separated by decades in time, the stories in Hearth and Sand reflect a continuity of service from the past to the present and into the world of tomorrow. Although the events are fictional, the voices captured within these pages came from historical notes, veterans’ own words, letters left by their ancestors, or contemporary events. Pen was put to paper while watching fighter planes land in the Philippine Islands and in the shaded woods of a stateside farm.


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